The landmark comparative report of early childhood education and care (ECEC) carried out by the OECD, Starting strong: Early childhood education and care" (2001), identified key elements of policy essential to quality ECEC. The report especially notes the importance of "appropriate training and working conditions for staff in all forms of provision." This recommendation is also clearly supported by a vast amount of empirical research. The OECD specifically suggests that:
"Quality ECEC depends on strong staff training and fair working conditions across the sector. Initial and in-service training might be broadened to take into account the growing educational and social responsibilities of the profession. There is a critical need to develop strategies to recruit and retain a qualified and diverse, mixed-gender workforce and to ensure that a career in ECEC is satisfying, respected and financially viable."
This ISSUE file collects recommended readings (both online and in print) about the early childhood workforce. Readings are organized into four sections:
- The importance of training and fair working conditions: What does the research tell us? (A list of empirical research demonstrating the relationship between training and fair working conditions to high quality)
- What does the early childhood workforce look like?
- What does the early childhood workforce look like in other countries? (Readings about the early childhood workforce in Canada and in other countries)
- Other factors that affect the early childhood workforce (readings about other factors that directly impact the conditions of the early childhood sector)